Harlequin Love Inspired March 2021--Box Set 1 of 2

by Marta Perry

  “I’m on it.”

  As Christa disappeared out the door, Sadie’s voice echoed from the living room. She’d asked to watch that Frozen movie again while he and Christa worked and was singing along at the top of her lungs.

  Chuckling to himself, he turned his attention to the window and watched Christa pick her way through the slush and mud in her backyard. Temperatures had climbed into the upper thirties overnight then shot into the forties once the sun came up, turning their winter wonderland into a sloppy mess. By midweek, the storm would be nothing but a memory. He hoped it’d be a happy one for Sadie, just as it was for him.

  To his surprise, he’d rather enjoyed these last couple of days. For a guy who’d been single forever, he would’ve thought that having someone—a woman, no less—invade his space would have him climbing the walls. Now he almost hated to see Christa go. Though he was certain that was only because of Sadie. Christa never seemed to be at a loss for ideas to keep his niece busy. If it had been just him, the poor kid probably would have been bored the entire time.

  He let go a sigh as Christa started back toward the house. Now that she was home, he and Sadie would have to restart their journey to finding a new norm. For him, that meant a life that encompassed both parenthood and ranching. Not to mention a lot of prayer. Because while he knew ranching, being responsible for another human being, a little girl at that, was uncharted territory for him. And knowing that the Sandersons were just waiting for him to fail so they could swoop in and take Sadie only increased the pressure.

  Christa burst through the door. “How does it look?”

  He eyed the hole he’d had to cut in the wall to access the pipes. “I think we’re good to go.”

  “You’re sure? I mean, what if another leak crops up?”

  “Then just holler and I’ll come back and fix it.”

  “But I was planning to head to the hardware store.”

  “Well, I reckon you could turn the water off until you get home.”

  She crossed her arms over her chest and rubbed them. “I guess that would work.”

  He’d never seen her look so nervous. Then again, she’d done lot of work on this house, making it look like a real farmhouse should. Not the 1980s country cottage look his mom had tried to achieve or the pristine white so-called farmhouse even city dwellers yearned for these days.

  No, Christa had done right by this house. Yet other than the kitchen, where she’d replaced the worn plywood cabinets with a rustic quarter sawn oak version, she hadn’t added much at all. Instead, she’d removed things, such as the carpet and dark wood paneling that had lined the walls of the living and dining rooms and the kitchen. Then she’d simply enhanced the old shiplap walls with a pale gray-green paint and returned the original wooden floors to their former glory.

  A far cry from what he’d expected when she bought the place. He figured she’d make it all sleek and modern. But this? This was the way the house was meant to be.

  A cozy place he wouldn’t mind lingering in for a while. If he didn’t have work to do.

  But he did. It was time for things to get back to normal. Something that hadn’t existed since the day he learned of Jen’s death. In the blink of an eye, everything had changed. Life was no longer just about him. He had Sadie to consider. Yet ranching was his livelihood. He still had no idea how to mesh the two.

  “Just let me get these appliances pushed back into place and Sadie and I will get out of your hair.” He shimmied the dryer into position first, then the washer. “Come on, Sadie, it’s time to go.”

  She bounded into the kitchen, all smiles. “Go where?”

  “We need to check on the cattle and put out some more hay.”

  Her bottom lip pooched out then, her arms crossing defiantly over her chest. “I don’t want to do that. I want to stay with Miss Christa.”

  Christa smoothed a hand over Sadie’s hair. “Sorry, sweetie, I have to go to work, too. I have a store to run.”

  Tears welled in Sadie’s eyes. Her lip trembled. “What about Dixie?”

  “She’s used to staying by herself,” said Christa.

  The dam broke loose then, and Sadie began to wail. “But I don’t want to leave.”

  Mick’s entire being cringed. He’d never been able to stand up to tears, even when Jen was little and would cry because she wanted to go with him and his dad, and Mom wouldn’t let her. He knew he couldn’t let Sadie get her own way, but he had no clue what to do.

  He knelt in front of his niece. “Aw, come on, Sadie. Don’t do this to me. Tell you what, once we’re finished, I’ll let you watch whatever you want.”

  She shook her head, grunting her displeasure.

  Mick pushed to his feet. Lord, I could use a little help here. How on earth was he ever going to pull off ranching and raising Sadie? Sure, things were fine when she was in school, but what about weekends and breaks? And he didn’t even want to think about summer.

  “I sure wish I didn’t have to go to work.” Christa raised her voice enough to be heard over the tumult. “Mick, you’ve got some really cute baby calves out there.” She sent him a look that told him to play along.

  “Uh, yeah. Another one was born during the storm, too.”

  “Aw, poor baby. I hope it’s all right.”

  “I do, too.” He decided to play it up then. “But I don’t know. It was mighty cold, and the weather’s kept me from being able to check on it as often as I should.”

  “It’s probably hungry.” Christa cast a sideways glance as Sadie’s cries grew quiet.

  “Maybe starvin’,” Mick added for good measure.

  “And who knows—” Christa grabbed her jacket “—there could be another baby out there by now.”

  “Could be.”

  Sadie sniffed. Swiped the backs of her hands across her eyes. “I want to see the baby cow.”

  “You’ll have to go with Uncle Mickey, then.”

  Why did he get the feeling Christa got a kick out of calling him Uncle Mickey? Still, she’d come to his rescue once again. And for that, he was grateful.

  He looked down at his niece. “Maybe when we’re finished we can run into town and buy some more ice cream.”

  Sadie’s green eyes widened. “Chocolate?”

  “And sprinkles, too.”

  She smiled wide then. “I like sprinkles.”

  “I know you do.” He helped her into her coat. “All right, Christa, looks like we’re out of here.” Glancing over his shoulder, he mouthed the words Thank you.

  “You two have fun.”

  Fun would be awesome, but at this point, he was just happy the tears were gone.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Christa crossed the parking lot of Bliss Community Church after service Sunday morning, taking pleasure in the birdsong that rang through the large oak trees surrounding the steepled brick building. A brilliant blue sky and temps in the fifties had erased virtually all signs of the ice storm. Yes, things were almost back to normal. And though the plumber would still need to make the permanent repairs to her pipes, and the holes she and Mick had to make in the walls to get to the pipes would have to be fixed, for the most part, her life could go on just the way it had before the storm.

  Or so she thought. But something had changed. Much the way that year she’d spent caring for her father had changed her. As his cancer progressed, he kept reminding her not to overlook the simple things in life and to put others before herself. That’s what had prompted her to step away from the corporate world for good and start a new life in Bliss.

  This time, though, it had to do with a precious little brown-haired girl who had woven her way into Christa’s heart, exposing a long-buried yearning for love, acceptance, family.

  She drew in a breath of fresh air. Sure she had Dixie and Paisley, Rae and Laurel, but suddenly she found herself longing for more.
<
br />   “Miss Christa, look at my picture.”

  She was halfway to her SUV when she heard Sadie calling. Dismissing her fanciful thoughts, she turned to see the beautiful child hurrying toward her, arms held wide, a piece of purple paper waving back and forth in one hand.

  “Good morning.” She stooped and caught the girl in a brief hug, savoring her sweetness. When she finally released her, she said, “Now what’s this about a picture?”

  Sadie proudly showed it to her. “See—” she pointed “—it’s you, me, Dixie and Uncle Mickey in the ice storm.”

  Christa took in the abundance of white that looked more like a blizzard. Then again, from Sadie’s perspective, it had probably looked like a blizzard. “You’ve even got Dixie smiling.”

  “Yeah, she smiles a lot.” A winded Sadie giggled. “That’s why I love her so much.”

  Christa stood as Mick approached, curious as to why he was frowning.

  “Young lady.” Lines creased his brow as he peered down at Sadie, looking none too happy. “What’s the big idea running away from me? You know you’re not supposed to be in the parking lot alone.”

  “But I wasn’t alone.” Sadie appeared oblivious to his concern. “Miss Christa was here.”

  Christa had been so focused on Sadie, she hadn’t even noticed that Mick wasn’t around. But watching cars move past them now sent a chill down her spine. “I was in the parking lot, yes—” she looked down at Sadie “—but I didn’t know you were until you called my name.” Christa did her best to keep her expression stern. “You should have waited for your uncle.”

  “But he was busy talking and I sawed you leave.” The child’s bottom lip protruded. “I wanted to show you the picture I drawed.”

  Christa’s heartstrings tangled into the biggest knot ever. How could she get upset with that?

  Mick crouched beside Sadie. “Princess, you could have been hit by a car. I’m sorry I got distracted, but next time, please tell me what you need. Don’t just go taking off by yourself. Okay?”

  Sadie blinked away tears. “Okay.”

  After hugging her, Mick stood and smiled at Christa, threatening to take her breath away. The cowboy sure cleaned up well. Dark washed Wranglers with a crisp crease were paired with a maroon-and-white-plaid shirt and separated by a rodeo-style silver belt buckle. Hands resting on Sadie’s shoulders, he said, “How were things at the store?”

  “Fine.” She blew out a breath. “And the cattle?” She’d prayed all the way into town yesterday that Sadie would not only cooperate but enjoy checking cattle with Mick.

  “I got to see two babies.” Sadie held up two fingers for emphasis.

  “And were they cute?”

  “So cute. I nameded the white one Winter and the brown one Freckles because he had white spots on his face.” She giggled.

  “That sounds perfectly logical to me.” And made her wish she could have gone with them. Things had felt pretty lonely when she arrived home last night. Even Dixie had seemed rather lost.

  Being at the store, however, had reminded her about Sadie’s room, something that seemed to have fallen by the wayside with the storm. So she distracted herself by playing with a design on her computer.

  “Before I forget.” She reached into her purse, pulled out a folded piece of paper with the computer rendering of Sadie’s new room and handed it to Mick. Since they hadn’t said anything to Sadie about it, she simply said, “You can look it over and let me know what you think.”

  He didn’t wait, though. He excitedly opened it right there, his eyes growing wide. “You can do this?” His look of utter amazement had her feeling a little unsteady.

  “Sure. It’s all cosmetic.”

  His smile faltered. “But what if…?”

  She knew what he was getting at even if he couldn’t finish the sentence. He was worried about the lawsuit and the possibility of losing Sadie to the Sandersons.

  Lifting a shoulder, she said, “It’s up to you. But I say think positive.”

  The corners of his mouth tipped upward in appreciation. “Do you mind if I—?” He nodded in Sadie’s direction.

  “Of course not.”

  He knelt again. “How would you like it if your new bedroom looked like this?” He turned it so she could see.

  A smile illuminated Sadie’s sweet face. “I would love it so much!”

  Peering up at Christa, he stood. “I think we have our answer. When can you start?”

  While she’d contemplated doing laundry this afternoon, it didn’t hold that much appeal. Besides, Dixie would be thrilled to spend some more time with Sadie.

  “I don’t have anything planned this afternoon. I could run over to the store now and mix the paint then come by after lunch.”

  “Little lady, if you’re gonna do all this, the least I can do is buy you lunch.”

  She cleared her throat, her gaze narrowing. “Mick, if you call me little lady one more time, I might have to hurt you.”

  His mischievous grin made those green eyes sparkle. “Is that a threat?”

  “I don’t make threats, Mick. Only promises.”

  “Well, I promised Sadie that we’d grab burgers at Bubba’s after church. Care to join us?”

  “Please, please, please.” Sadie pressed her little hands together.

  “But I have to get the paint.”

  “That’s all right.” Taking hold of Sadie’s hand, he continued. “You get the paint while we grab the burgers and we’ll meet back at your place.”

  Telling herself that the excitement she felt bubbling inside her was simply because she could relate to Sadie, empathize with what she was going through in a way few people could, she said, “Sounds like a plan.” Her gaze moved from Sadie to Mick. “I’ll see you in a bit.” Turning, she started for her vehicle.

  “What should I get you?” Mick hollered after her.

  She faced him again. “Bacon cheeseburger. No veggies. Mustard only.” She started to retreat, then paused. “And a large fry, please.”

  “You got it, little lady.” He sent her a wink that enticed as much as it irritated her. Making her wonder what she’d gotten herself into.

  * * *

  Mick’s mind was a jumbled mess when he dropped Sadie off at school Monday morning and headed toward Rae’s Fresh Start Café for a stiff cup of joe. As if the impending meeting with his attorney wasn’t enough to make him nuts, images of Christa in that pretty red dress yesterday continued to pepper his brain. She’d looked so…feminine. Not at all like the jeans-and-T-shirt-clad Christa he was used to seeing. And for some strange reason, that confounded him.

  Turning into the heart of Bliss, he eyed the courthouse square, noting the downed limbs that dotted the grounds. Between the winds and the weight of the ice, the old magnolia and live oak trees were bound to suffer some sort of damage. Fortunately, it wasn’t too extensive and things would likely be cleaned up before the day was out.

  He nabbed a parking spot in front of the row of late-nineteenth-century brick buildings opposite the courthouse and eased his truck to a stop. Lord willing, this turmoil rolling around inside him would be gone after his meeting. Because this shouldn’t be a problem, right? Kyle and Jen had made sure everything was taken care of. I’s were dotted and t’s were crossed. So why were the Sandersons even trying?

  Because Kyle’s parents were used to things going their way.

  The morning sun shone down on the town as he exited his truck and headed straight for the orange brick building that was Rae’s. Inside, the smell of coffee mingled with bacon and syrup, something that normally would have awakened his appetite. But right now, black coffee was about all he could handle.

  He eyed the table at the back of the restaurant where ranchers gathered every morning. The conversation appeared quite lively today. And if Mick were to make a guess, every bit of it centered
around the storm. Things of that proportion didn’t happen around these parts but once every few decades. It was the kind of thing that generated not only memories, but tall tales. And he was certain a few of those were being born right now.

  “Hey, Mick.” Rae, the shop’s owner, greeted him from behind the wooden counter on the left side of the room, while square wooden tables were scattered about the rest of the space. “You here to join the fellows?” She started to reach for a white mug.

  “No, make mine to go today.”

  The pretty brunette pivoted toward the paper cups. “What size would you like?” Rae didn’t need to ask what he wanted because all he ever got was just plain old coffee.

  “A medium oughta do me.” His gaze absently drifted to the chalkboard that hung on the exposed brick wall behind the counter, bearing a list of today’s pastry offerings. Maybe he’d have to stop by after his meeting. Because once his appetite returned, he was sure those blonde brownies would be calling his name.

  Watching Rae pour, he said, “When did you get back?” She, along with a few others from the church, had been in Costa Rica on a mission trip for the last two weeks.

  “Late last night.” She added a lid to the cup of steaming brew.

  “And—” he retrieved his wallet from his back pocket “—how was it?”

  Her entire face seemed to light up as she set the cup on the counter. “Amazing. If I in any way touched those people’s hearts as much as they did mine, I’ll consider it successful.”

  He handed her enough to cover the coffee and tip. “Too bad you missed all the fun around here, though.”

  “Ha!” She opened the cash register. “If you’re referring to the storm, I’m glad I wasn’t here. I can do without cold and ice, thank you very much.”